May You Bloom and Grow
by HecateA
Summary: Narcissa was expecting a lullaby, not a goodbye. Oneshot. House Competition, final round.


**Author's Note: ** Here's the situation: _The Sound of Music _is one of three musicals I'm not crazy about_, _but I will take whatever prompts my team needs me to fill_. _The film version is one of the movies that my mum watches when she's sick, so I don't have good associations to it. That being said, the scene when the Captain sings _Edelweiss _to an assembly of Nazis as his secret goodbye to Austria before running to freedom… That's a brilliant scene. So here we are.

**Disclaimer: **The following characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and this story derives from her original works, storylines, and world. Please do not sue me, I can barely pay tuition. Elements of the story referencing _The Sound of Music _as well as the lyrics to "Edelweiss" were written by Rodgers and Hammerstein.

**Warnings: **Child abuse threats at the end of the fic

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**House:** Hufflepuff

**Role:** Head Girl

**Category:** 3, Musicals

**Prompt:** [Musical] The Sound of Music

**Word Count:** 855

**Stacked with: **Hogwarts House Cup; MC4A; Shower of Words; Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (Assignment 10, Alchemy 2 Albedo, a whitening or leucosis - write about a dark character going to the light side)

**Individual Challenge(s): **Slytherin MC (x2); Booger Breath; Bow Before the Blacks (Y); Brush; Stolen Plot; In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux

**Representation: **Engagement party

**Bonus challenge(s): **Chorus (Bechdel Test); Mouth of Babes; Tomorrow's Shade; Demo (Mouth of Babes; Tomorrow's Shade; Pear-Shaped; In the Trench)

**Tertiary bonus challenge(s): **NA

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**May You Bloom and Grow**

Andromeda crept into Narcissa's room that night, still dressed as she had been for the engagement party. Narcissa quite agreed with their mother on this one; Andromeda could have put in a little bit more effort in her appearance for the night. The way she'd pinned her braids was beautiful, but it was one of her regular looks. Even the gown that she had worn was quite plain. On anybody else it wouldn't have looked quite so lovely—Mum said she looked like a simple governess. Aunt Walburga had said that Andromeda might as well have crawled out of a convent. And who wore black to an engagement party, anyways? Mother had been annoyed.

"Hi Cissa," she said quietly. "Ninny wasn't feeling well. I thought I'd help you get ready for bed myself."

"Okay," Narcissa said. Andromeda helped her unbutton her dress and slip into a nightgown while listening to her chatter about all the things she'd done and all the people she'd talked to at the engagement party and all the sweets she'd eaten.

"There were chocolate eclairs, raisin tarts, sugar cookies, apricot flan…" Narcissa said. "I had one of each. I had to. These are a few of my favourite things. But don't tell Mother."

Andromeda smiled, but even that looked washed out.

"I promise I won't. Let's say you had my share, okay?"

"You didn't eat?" Narcissa asked curiously.

"I didn't have much of an appetite," Andromeda said quietly.

"I hope the sweets at my engagement party are just as delicious," Narcissa said. "Were those at Bella's this good?"

"Yes," Andromeda said.

"How old do I have to be to get engaged?" Narcissa asked eagerly.

"Sixteen, going on seventeen," Andromeda said. "If you manage to delay it like I… Alright Miss Cissa, let me brush out your hair, now…"

It took a lot of time, but Andromeda was gentle and didn't pull. Narcissa tried to sit as still as possible, studying her sister's face in the vanity. She looked pale and tired, sad and stone cold.

"Anda?" Narcissa said, reverting back to the nickname she'd given her sister when she was too young to say her name properly.

"Yes, love?"

"Are you okay?"

"Of course I am," Andromeda said. She forced a smile, which felt completely wrong.

"Did you have fun at your engagement party?" Narcissa asked.

"It was a good party."

"But did you have fun?" Narcissa pushed.

"I think that's enough," Andromeda said, putting the hairbrush back on the vanity. "Let's get you in bed."

Narcissa curled up into bed, and thankfully Andromeda knew to just curl up with her. It would have felt silly, asking to be tucked in like this when she was eleven and had gone to Hogwarts for a year, but it felt nice. Sleeping alone in her room was very different from sleeping in the dormitory with her friends, after all. And Andromeda had the most beautiful singing voice in the world, too.

"Can you sing me your song?" Narcissa asked sleepily. She wanted to hear it before she fell asleep.

"What song?" Andromeda asked.

"The song only you know," Narcissa asked.

"Of course," Andromeda said, kissing the top of her head. One of her fingers started playing with Narcissa's hair.

"_Edelweiss, Edelweiss_

_Every morning you greet me_

_Small and white _

_Clean and bright _

_You look happy to meet me_

_Blossom of snow may you bloom and grow_

_Bloom and grow forever_

_Edelweiss Edelweiss_

_Bless my homeland forever." _

"Where did you learn that song?" Narcissa asked sleepily. She hadn't been as good in their music lessons as Andromeda—who could make a song that had been sung for a thousand years sound brand new. Narcissa had always liked the sound of music, more than she'd liked deciphering the do re mis before her. But she had never been able to figure out which wizarding composer had written this specific lullaby.

"From someone I love," Andromeda said quietly. "I'll tell you about them one day, once I've found a better, safer, more peaceful life. Something good. When I'm a little bit freer and maybe you'll…. Don't worry about that."

She sang the song again, and Narcissa hummed it under her breath, joining her. However, she fell asleep before even realising that Andromeda hadn't sung —hadn't been able to make herself sing— the final line. _Bless my homeland forever. _

She also didn't hear Andromeda lean in and kiss her cheek on her way out, whispering: "So long, farewell."

The next morning, Narcissa woke up to a commotion downstairs.

"_Find her," _she heard her father roar downstairs. "Bellatrix, _find her!" _

"She's already broken everything we hold sacred," she heard her mother cry. "She's no daughter of mine."

"I want her punished," her father roared again. "I want her found and I want her to pay for betraying us all—do you hear me? Bellatrix? I don't care what it takes. Climb every mountain, if you must. Search the world. She will not get away with this."

Narcissa sat up groggily and found that Andromeda had slipped her engagement ring on her middle finger, leaving it there.

And Andromeda herself was gone.


End file.
